Variety is the spice of life, or so they say. Whether the complex 23-flavor mix of Dr. Pepper or the simple party-in-my-mouth-and-everyone's-invited combo of Jack and Coke, the experimentation of mixing stuff together is often a rewarding experience.

Following this proud tradition, we, the arts staff of The Daily Collegian, have taken it upon ourselves to come up with the musical equivalents of Dr. Pepper and Jack and Coke --or whatever your favorite libation may be. We plan to do this every week, and we plan to do it well. But as I stressed in my column last week, we need your help. Send in your mix tape ideas to collegian.mixtapes@gmail.com. You give us the occasion, we'll give you the mix.

Challenge us. No subject is too obscure. We can make a mix in honor of the fact that you stepped in a puddle this morning and now your shoelaces smell like dirty water. The power of these mixes will be turning a seemingly uneventful incident into something bigger and more entertaining. It'll be like the musical version of Seinfeld. Consider your mix about getting skimped on grilled chicken at the dining commons or "man hands."

Just as there's nothing too obscure, there's nothing too powerful, either. Expect mixes about falling in love, or falling out of love, or death and tragedy, or life and prosperity. We can make feel-good mixes just as well as we can make ones to play while you curl up in a ball and hide from the world.

We can do genres, too. Hip-hop, indie, country, blues, R&B, you name it--just as we'll try to incorporate different styles into each mix, we can also specialize with one genre for each, since a punk rock driving mix and a classic rock driving mix would sound quite a bit different.

Don't be afraid to try them on for size. Maybe you'll hear something you've never heard before. Maybe you'll be inspired to make your own mix tape or change around one of ours. Whatever you do, let us know what you think. We appreciate the feedback.

[Also, I'd like to take this space to note that it was by complete coincidence that Weezer is so well represented in the mixes. But I won't apologize. Enjoy!]